Local News Roundup: Tricia Cotham switches parties; NCDOT tells CATS to fully staff; Mecklenburg Commissioners frustrated at revaluations for golf courses; Leon Levine dies

North Carolina Representative Tricia Cotham announces she’s switching parties. The former Democratic representative from Charlotte has changed her party affiliation to Republican, giving the GOP a supermajority in the North Carolina House. We’ll talk about what happened.

More news about the Charlotte Area Transit system this week, as the North Carolina Department of Transportation conducts a surprise inspection and tells CATS the light rail needs more workers in the control room or risks being shut down. And we’ll bring you the latest on further investigation into the CATS derailment and its aftermath, including decisions regarding outside or third-party investigations into the matter.

Mecklenburg County commissioners react with frustration to revaluations of golf courses in the county.

Plus, the reaction from North Carolina lawmakers on the arrest and arraignment of former President Donald Trump in New York City this week.

And Family Dollar founder and Charlotte philanthropist Leon Levine has died. We’ll have a remembrance.

Guest host Erik Spanberg from the Charlotte Business Journal and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter